Monday Night Movie: "From Sea to Shining Sea: Katharine Lee Bates and the Story of America the Beautiful"
Mon, May 18
|Darien Library
“America the Beautiful may be America's most beloved song. But few know about the fascinating life of the writer behind it: poet, long-time professor at Wellesley College and social reformer Katharine Lee Bates.
Time & Location
May 18, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Darien Library, 1441 Post Rd, Darien, CT 06820, USA
About the event
This program is part of our year-long celebration of 'America 250,' the Semiquincentennial of our country's founding.
“America the Beautiful may be America's most beloved song. But few know about the fascinating life of the writer behind it: poet, long-time professor at Wellesley College and social reformer Katharine Lee Bates.
The first words of her poem America (later set to music and called America the Beautiful) came to Bates as she surveyed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains from the broad summit of Colorado's Pike's Peak on July 22, 1893. Bates penned lyrics that reflect both a love for her country and a desire for reform. The song does not ignore the fact that the United States has often not lived up to its promises and ideals, yet it honors the unbroken chain of Americans who, living up to those ideals and loving their country deeply, strived to…